


Lullaby for A Broken Child

by idrilhadhafang



Series: Emperor Hux AU [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Creepy Snoke (Star Wars), Dark, Gen, Good Parent Han Solo, Good Parent Leia Organa, Parents Han and Leia, mama bear - Freeform, mentions of Ben Solo, papa wolf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-25 04:38:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12028275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idrilhadhafang/pseuds/idrilhadhafang
Summary: In which Leia telling Han about Snoke makes all the difference.





	Lullaby for A Broken Child

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MidgardianNerd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidgardianNerd/gifts).



> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> Author's Notes: Inspired by a conversation that I had with MidgardianNerd. This definitely turned out darker than I expected, but I still hope you like it.

It's when Ben's four years old that Leia decides to tell Han about the presence. It's about time that she did, and Han's already flabbergasted that Leia hasn't told him earlier. "Why didn't you tell me?" he says.

"I didn't know how you'd react. And...I thought I was being paranoid. I didn't think that something would be after Ben."

Han looks like he's been punched in the gut. It's an awful look on him, and Leia wishes that what was happening wasn't true. That their son was safe. But their son is not safe. And Leia...

"Luke would know," she says.

"You think he would?"

"We need all the help we can get," Leia says. "Luke's especially."

 

***

They go to Luke, and he's all too happy to help them locate this presence. Luke's felt him too, and he's thought of a plan to locate him.

"Just close your eyes, Leia," Luke says. "And open your mind. Follow the presence."

Leia does. It definitely takes some doing to find it; the presence is scorching, and reminds her of the wastes of Tatooine on Jabba's sail barge. But she finds it. A Star Destroyer, larger than the Executor, larger than any ship she's seen before, actually. It's enormous, hulking, blotting out the stars. And on it is the presence, hovering over...

"Milara." Leia says.

Han looks skeptical. "Milara's nothing but a wasteland. What would he be doing there?"

"I don't know," Leia says. "I guess we'll find out when we get there."

It's a matter of packing, and then going to Shara and Kes' house, asking them to watch Ben (they can't bring a four year old on a dangerous mission, after all), and then heading towards the Falcon. They set the coordinates for Milara, and like Leia saw, the Star Destroyer looms above Milara, blotting out the stars.

"Well, I guess this is the part where we get captured?" Han says.

It's as good of a plan as any.

***

Snoke has to admit that he's surprised even as the tractor beam pulls the Falcon into the hangar bay. He can't see it, but he can feel their presences, he can feel their anger through the Force. He smiles to himself. Either way, they're playing flawlessly into his hands. 

They're pathetic, truly. Skywalker claims to be a Jedi, yet he feeds on anger and hate. He's far from the paragon of the Light that he pretends to be; he is an impostor, plain and simple. Even if he doesn't want to admit it, Snoke knows it. Snoke has met many beings like him.

***

They're escorted by guards dressed in red down a hallway, and Leia has to admit with disgust how opulent it is. The corridors are vast, massive, resembling palace corridors more than anything else, and they glisten in a way that makes Leia wonder if the Star Destroyer is made out of what she thinks it is. Getting to the end only makes it worse -- there are multiple fierce-looking cats -- no doubt wild cats -- that growl at Leia, Luke and Han as they pass.

"The Emperor was less...garish than this," Luke says, and Leia can't say that she disagrees with him. From what she saw of the Emperor, even he wasn't that ready to flaunt his wealth. 

They enter the room at the end of the corridor and it's extravagant -- red walls, an elaborately carved throne that makes Leia wonder if its goal was to make those below feel small. And on the throne is the presence itself -- a Milaran in dark gold robes, his face in shadow. Leia swears that she sees the glistening presence of some sort of black crystal ring on his finger.

The Milaran looks over at them, and his eyes, bright blue, shine in the darkness. "Senator Organa. Han Solo. Luke Skywalker. Your reputations precede you." His voice is a rumble, almost like the one that precedes an avalanche.

"So you're the one threatening Ben," Han says, and his voice is brimming with barely held back fury. 

"And so you're coming to rescue him. Fascinating...you barely care about him at first, but the moment there's a new enemy to fight, you eagerly rise to the challenge."

"You know nothing about us."

"I've been connected to Ben long enough to know many things. I have felt you. I have studied you. I know every argument you've had, every insecurity, every petty grievance you've had. You had a child, you had a gift, and you were scared of him...weren't you, Senator? Too much Vader in him, you thought?"

Leia can't argue. She knows that it's true.

Han glares up at him. "You're sick," he says. "In every way."

"Is the truth not often sick? Your wife was afraid of your son. A mere toddler, and she thought him repugnant." The Milaran taps his chin. "Fascinating word, 'mother'. In your culture, it might as well mean saint or martyr. And yet human mothers find ways to fail at that basic duty at every turn."

Leia won't deny that she's shaken. Was Ben more vulnerable to this presence because of her and Han's own failings? It makes her sick to think about it.

"You're right. We did make mistakes." Leia draws her blaster. "But now we're here to fix them."

She fires. It's no use, even as she and Han fire at the man who threatened their son. But Luke draws his lightsaber, and he duels the man. With the man who threatened their son distracted by Luke's lightsaber, some of the blaster shots actually get through and manage to nick their opponent. They fire, and they manage to get through, and their opponent's wavering before Luke gets him down.

Luke refuses to kill him, and Han and Leia both are flabbergasted. "Why?" Leia says. "How can you do that? That man is threatening Ben!"

"Killing a helpless opponent is hardly the Jedi way -- "

There's a shot. Han shoots, and shoots, until his blaster is emptied into Snoke. Finally, he stands back, looking over at Leia and a now-horrified Luke.

"It's all right," he says. "Ben's safe now."

***

When they get home, Shara and Kes rush out to see them, looking frantic. "Leia. Han," Kes says. "Thank the stars you're here. Ben...Ben had some sort of seizure."

"Is he all right?" Leia says.

"He's asleep," Shara says. "But it was frightening. We almost called the medics because we had no idea what was going on. What did the three of you do up there?"

Leia doesn't know how to explain it. Ben will hate her without a doubt, but he'll understand as he gets older. In the end, all they did was what anyone would have done when their son was threatened.

Even explaining it to Shara and Kes, Leia watches their eyes, wide with shock before Kes says, "You did the right thing. If anyone was after Poe like that..."

"He could have stood trial," Luke says. 

"Han and Leia did what anyone would have done," Shara says. "They haven't committed a crime."

"Yeah." Leia holds out a lightsaber and a kyber crystal ring. "We got some souvenirs from him. I don't think we ever learned his name. But at least Ben's all right. The next morning, tell Ben..."

"What do you want us to tell him?" Shara says.

"Tell him it's all right now. And that he's safe."

And yet Leia has a sick feeling that this fight is far from over. 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
